The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-11-09
GOSSIP OF GOTHAM.
krs. PSt'cr's Recent Professional Appearance
The Probabilities Of Her Success.
"The neutrality-suspicious. Lyoeun-
THE Railroad OF Low e''-s'rhe BsSam,"
= New Comic Opera.
lspecial Sentinel I,eiierl

NBW YORK, november =, 1861.
The theatrical equinoctial storm did not
begin TO rage this year until November
had set in. have known is to come upon
NJ as early as the middle of September,
bat managers have wisely delayed it dur
ing the last few years, until now it does
not spend its fury and waste the money
of some of them, until more than month
later than formerly. This opening week
OF November IS really the beginning of the
theatrical storm. and it promises to rage
with fury. Managers, like brokers' and
newspaper editors, seem to be occasionally
thrown into panic by the actions of each
other. There is quiet in Wall street. aud
/ have nothing TO write about that. The
newspapers are having q chaotic panic
over q local election, but fancy you get
all you want Of politics Just now. So
am compelled to write of the theatrical
panic and storm of this week. Its several
incidents were curious and interesting, il
not instructive. aud embraced the debut
OF Mrs. James Brown Potter, the revival
of Caste, and the first nights of The
Wife at the. Lyceum, and The Railro NJ
of Love- at Days.
The first professional appearance of Mrs.
Potter IN this country was a well managed
blast. Ny only fear for the lsdys sake is
that il may too soon blow over, Her de-
artlsticiDg have ever seen-much mOse
cleverly managed then that of Mrs. Lang
try on her first appearance here. 1t is an
extremely difficult task to make a lady
famous in print without making her out
not TO be exactly lady. Fame on the
stage is too seldom obtained without
some sacrifice of fame in the household.
There is no jumping INTO the sac die OF re-
nown with Que swift leap, without disclos
II
escape calnmny, though she was cold as
ice or as her OWL beauty. Mrs Potter had
reason to fear 1t, though she was as pure
as snow; but she escaped it. Oae journal
did announce that she and her husband
bad separated, but the husband promptly
called the writer to account, and he
crawled out Of it by saying that be mesnt
that the gentleman and his wife were sep
arated by the Atlantic. Mrs. Potter las
sacrificed in her daring bid for profession
al popularity no jot nor little of reputa-
tIon; has lost no personal friend, has dis
obeyed no husbands will, but is safely,
and, have before intimated, successfully
launched in profession she will adore,
and l hope help 10 elevate still higher
than it now is By her acting as well as by
her personal presence.
Mrs POtters pictures do not do her full
justice; the poses of some of the most IA
milar of them heighten some one feature
at the expense of Others; and none that /
have sseD-and there are scores upon
scores of different styles-conVey the idea
Of the grace and genileness and refinement
which is revealed in her charming person
atty. Her features are not uniform and
regular; her figure is slight, rather than
robust, and her face is bright, rather than
beautiful; yet there is an indescribsble
sweetness about Der which wins both
sexes There is no resisting the thought,
as you look at Der, that this delicate aud
refined creature is out of her place on the
stage; that even the ball room or drawing
room have no right to claim her, aud that
her proper place is her own boudoir at
home, with children about her. l never
saw the lady until Monday night, and this
impression is not suggested by any knowl-
edge OF her personal character; the idea is
associated wholly with her personal ap-
pearance. There are all sorts of stories as
to her reasons for leaving an easy and lux
urious private life for the hard life Of
professional PLAYER. An irresistible in
clination 10 set, the necessity OF adding 20
her husbands income by her talents, the
necessities OF others of her family who are
dependent upon her-these reasons for GO
ing on the stage, and various accounts of
the circumstances of doing so, are on ev-
eTybody's tongue; but l know nothing of
these. She is there, and l fancy that her
personality alone will bring her success
and fortune.